


Once Upon A Dream

by SJoan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 17:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20642957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SJoan/pseuds/SJoan
Summary: The scent of fear was intoxicating and Teddy wasn’t sure he’d able to control his urges.





	Once Upon A Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sing Me a Rare: The Soundtracks. Much love to my alpha/beta who shall remain nameless until the fest is complete. 
> 
> Song Prompt – Once Upon a Dream, Lana del Ray - Maleficent

Saliva dripping from his jaws, the wolf circled his prey, nipping at the air, the scent of fear almost intoxicating. He couldn’t make out its features, this crumpled sobbing mess, but he knew its taste would be the sweetest he’d ever had. 

“Teddy, no!” A shout came from behind him, and the wolf spun, dodging a brilliant red burst of light. He snarled, lunging at his attacker, but didn’t catch anything in his jaws. 

Another burst of light spiralled toward the wolf, grazing his shoulder and illuminating a figure running into the woods. No! His prey! Snarling again, he lunged upwards, teeth finally grazing flesh. He jerked his neck, ripping whatever he’d caught. 

“Stop it! This isn’t you!” The man screamed; a spell connected with the wolf’s snout and he wrenched his arm away. “Stop this, Teddy!” Blood dripped to the ground, its scent swirling around, and the wolf’s attacks becoming more frenzied. 

There was nothing the man could do. Teeth clamped onto either side of his neck. His breath escaped him like a sigh, blood leaking from one corner of his mouth. He became limp and crumpled to the ground. Hazel eyes glazed over as the wolf howled his success to the iridescent full moon. 

“Teddy! Wake up!” 

Teddy’s eyes sprang open, searching for anything recognizable in the dark. His throat was dry, sore, almost as though he’d been screaming in his sleep. Messy black hair came into view, lighting a wand with a muttered Lumos charm. “Teddy? You okay mate?” 

“What?” Teddy ran a hand across his mouth, glancing down quickly just in case. Good. No blood.

“You okay? What are you looking for?” James asked again. “Nightmares?” He nudged Teddy with his shoulder, motioning the other man to lay back down in their bed. “Want to talk about it?” 

“No. Just sleep.” 

Yawning, James wrapped an arm around his pillow. “Mkay. Tomorrow will be fine, you know. I know you. Besides, we’ve got it all planned out. Hogwarts is a safe place for this.” 

“Just go to sleep, James.” Teddy sighed, not willing to dreg up the images his brain was willing to supply. “We can talk about it in the morning.” He waited until James’s breath had slowed before rolling over and staring up at the roof. No matter how many plans James came up with, it was still a wild animal, a wild magical animal they would be dealing with. Something meant to rip, tear, hunt, kill. 

Something Teddy wasn’t sure he’d be able to control, especially with a pack so close. 

—

Darkness closed in from every side, the full moon barely visible through the clouds. He could feel the air getting heavier, the fog that had threatened to suffocate him since he arrived finally settling down amongst the trees. His heart pounded in his chest, heavy breaths drowning out all other sounds. James weaved through the trees, not daring to glance behind, not willing to see how close he was to failure. The path he’d taken earlier was difficult to spot, and as he was unwilling to illuminate his Lumos charm fully, he was stumbling blind. He didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention. He’d already garnered enough. 

Ducking behind the next tree, James stopped to catch his breath, checking that he still had all his supplies. Luckily, he only had one werewolf to worry about; his wards had kept the remainder of the pack out. Only one wolf to worry about. Only Teddy to hunt him down. 

—

The change came about suddenly. No matter how much preparing he’d done, no matter how much he tried to control his breathing, this pain was too much to bear. He knew it was going to hurt, but he hadn’t known it would feel as though his body was slowly ripping apart. That his spine would crack, the sound vibrating through his skull. He had heard how others tried to embrace the pain, allowing it to wash over them, to funnel their pain into anger, into a frenzy. 

But this change, this time, it seemed to be worse than how others described it. Probably because he had something to hunt. Something that was sweating, emitting that sweet smell of fear that every werewolf dreamed of sinking their teeth into. 

Tonight he would find out if it tasted as good as it smelled, as good as it’d seemed in his dreams. Tonight it would be his. 

—

A tortured howl pierced the air, sending a chill down James’ spine. He’d managed to make it to his planned clearing, the wards he’d placed earlier that day faintly shimmering. It seemed to have taken longer to run back to the clearing than he’d anticipated, the evening chill starting to settle into the chill of early morning. 

“I know you, Teddy. Come back to me.” 

Another howl pierced the air, much closer than the last. James surveyed his wards one last time before applying a Disillusionment Charm and wrapping himself in his father’s cloak. 

It was almost time. Almost time to help Teddy remember him, ignore the dreams he’d seen, trust that James knew what he was doing. 

Branches snapped under the weight of a heavy paw. James could hear Teddy pacing, circling the routes James had taken earlier, finding the freshest one. 

“Come on, Teddy.” He muttered. “Your dreams weren’t what they seem.” 

Finally, Teddy moved into view, the full moon illuminating his silver-tipped fur. His gums were pulled back and a low growl sounded in his throat. There was nothing human in the amber eyes that surveyed the scene. Only a predator stalking his prey. 

—

Snapping small twigs beneath his paws, Teddy surveyed the clearing. He’d followed the sweet smell throughout the forest, slowly gaining on his prey. His instincts were telling him was somewhere here, somewhere close. 

—

Under the cloak, James shivered, releasing a slow breath and forcing himself to stay still. Disillusionment Charms didn’t mask smells and Teddy was moving closer every second. James closed his eyes, willing his heartbeat to slow and readying himself for what was to come. 

Hot breath caressed his face and James’s eyes snapped open. His stomach plummeted, body frozen with fear. He didn’t even have time to scream before Teddy lunged, teeth bared. 

—

Fur streaked in blood, the wolf sang his success to the moon. The haunting melody echoed through the clearing as the early morning fog settled into the trees.


End file.
